I have no excuse of why I have not been blogging much lately, other than the Lord is really moving in my life right now, and I just kinda really need to focus on that. I am seeing great things happen, and some things I have been surprised at. I am seeing prayers answered, some almost instantly, some things I have been praying for a long time, those prayers are starting to be answered as well! Hallelujah!!! God is amazing, and wonderful. I give Him all the praise and glory! I am still not sure where everything is headed, but I know that God is in control and he has something grand in store for me (and YOU!)!
In the mean time, I read this post from Angie blog, Bring the Rain and it really touched my heart (even the the digs at Pete (Pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville) made me smile!)....She is on a mission trip with Compassion in India and I do not yet sponsor a child, but I am praying about it and cam strongly considering do so. Anyway, I encourage you to read the post (and the others) , it brought tears to my eyes! Pete is posting too from India, and so is Shaun Groves and Melissa from Living Proof. Great Stuff! Also Keely is their photographer...and takes amazing photos...check them out too!
God Bless!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Empty Me
Wow, it's been a while since I have bloggeded ;-) Have you ever had so much stuff rattling around in your mind that you have a difficult time sorting it out to write about, because it's just too much for you to do? Well, that's me lately. I have so much on my mind that I cannot sort it all out. I am spending alot of time in prayer lately. Prayer for my health, prayer for a certain relationship, prayer for my family, for my daughter and for dear friends. I have also been spending alot of time (though not nearly enough) just praising God for who He is, and thanking Him for all he has given me, because if I am being honest, I do not do that nearly enough. I need to trust Him more. I need to learn to just lay everything at His feet and LEAVE it there. My theme song of late as been Empty Me by Jeremy Camp, and I visited a church in San Diego, and they had communion service and this was the song they sang as people came up to get the communion elements...what a perfect song for this occasion. WOW. It really spoke to me in a way that it had never before. Listen to it. Listen to the words. Pray that God Empty You and fill you up with HIM!!! I need that. I crave that.
Check this out...I needed it too...
Check this out...I needed it too...
Friday, April 3, 2009
UnChristian
I am reading a book entitled UnChristian by David Kinnaman... You can check out the premise here: http://www.unchristian.com/
I am only on chapter two, but this section really hit me - keep in mind that this book is written from alot of research done with 17-30 year olds and what their perception on Christianity is...the term outsiders is used for people who are not or do not consider themselves followers of Christ.
How common are these perceptions? It is one thing to encounter a person on the street who says audacious, brash things about Christianity, but quite another if these perceptions broadly define the Christian faith among young people. In our national surveys we found the three most common perceptions of present-day Christianity are anti-homosexual (an image held by 91 percent of young outsiders), judgmental (87%), and hypocritical (85%). These "big three" are followed by the following negative perceptions, embraced by a majority of young adults: old-fashioned, too involved in politics, out of touch with reality, insensitive to others, boring, not accepting of other faiths, and confusing. When they think of the Christian faith, these are the images that come to mind. This is what a new generation really thinks about Christianity.
Obviously the book does not end there...but this is where I have stopped for now. Isn't that far enough? These people are the future of our country...and they see us judgmental and hypocritical as a whole....shouldn't we as the body of Christ be working towards changing the focus back to Jesus, and showing these "outsiders" the LOVE of Christ, after all, isn't the United States a Christian Nation?? We like to say that "we are all human, we all make mistakes, we all do things we regret...etc..." Well, I am starting to think that well, that just isn't good enough. We are called to be DIFFERENT, we are CALLED to STAND OUT, an not conform to this world and be passive...I think it is time we start living that and showing that to any an all we encounter each and every day. We need to dispel of this negative image and we need to start now.
My two cents...
I encourage you to get the book...
~Hugs!
I am only on chapter two, but this section really hit me - keep in mind that this book is written from alot of research done with 17-30 year olds and what their perception on Christianity is...the term outsiders is used for people who are not or do not consider themselves followers of Christ.
How common are these perceptions? It is one thing to encounter a person on the street who says audacious, brash things about Christianity, but quite another if these perceptions broadly define the Christian faith among young people. In our national surveys we found the three most common perceptions of present-day Christianity are anti-homosexual (an image held by 91 percent of young outsiders), judgmental (87%), and hypocritical (85%). These "big three" are followed by the following negative perceptions, embraced by a majority of young adults: old-fashioned, too involved in politics, out of touch with reality, insensitive to others, boring, not accepting of other faiths, and confusing. When they think of the Christian faith, these are the images that come to mind. This is what a new generation really thinks about Christianity.
Obviously the book does not end there...but this is where I have stopped for now. Isn't that far enough? These people are the future of our country...and they see us judgmental and hypocritical as a whole....shouldn't we as the body of Christ be working towards changing the focus back to Jesus, and showing these "outsiders" the LOVE of Christ, after all, isn't the United States a Christian Nation?? We like to say that "we are all human, we all make mistakes, we all do things we regret...etc..." Well, I am starting to think that well, that just isn't good enough. We are called to be DIFFERENT, we are CALLED to STAND OUT, an not conform to this world and be passive...I think it is time we start living that and showing that to any an all we encounter each and every day. We need to dispel of this negative image and we need to start now.
My two cents...
I encourage you to get the book...
~Hugs!
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